


fire around me

by salazarastark (niewanyin)



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Gen, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 12:06:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22426789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niewanyin/pseuds/salazarastark
Summary: Zuko arrives in the past.
Comments: 26
Kudos: 594
Collections: Past Imperfect Future Unknown 2019





	fire around me

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fencesit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fencesit/gifts).



Zuko groans as he wakes up, his head pounding. He doesn't know why the hell it hurts so much, but he doesn't care why as long as it'll stop. He rolls over, and instantly regrets it because it feels like he's going to throw up. He's not looking forward to opening his eyes.

But he knows he has to, because he needs to beg the Avatar and his friends for forgiveness, to beg them to let Zuko teach him firebending so they can defeat his father. So he's going to do what he has to do every morning that he hasn't wanted to get up, and get up anyway. He just has to make it through the day, and then hopefully things will be better.

He makes himself open his eyes, expecting to see the fabric of his tent, but frowns.

This isn't his tent.

It's the cold gray of his old ship, in fact, he's in his old room. And now Zuko hates this dream for having the audacity to give him a headache in it. He sits up, giving him a minute to reorient himself, and then scans the room. It's incredibly put together, exactly how he remembers it, and Zuko wonders why he's having a dream about the ship of all places.

He tilts his head as he stares at the wall and the Fire Nation banner on it. The strange thing is, this doesn't feel like a dream. He's had many dreams, ones that have made him go through hard truths, ones that he rejected. He could believe this is another one if it didn't feel so real, untainted by the shine of something guided to him by the spirits.

It occurs to him that this might not be a dream.

Which is something that's absolutely ridiculous.

Except that Zuko has heard the tales of travelers falling asleep near the Western Air Temple, and waking up in their past and able to fix their past regrets. Old wives tales he thinks, but he can't shake this feeling that he might be wrong.

It certainly won't be the first time.

"It's not a dream," a voice says behind him, and Zuko whips around in shock. The voice is familiar even though he's never heard it before. And the man in front of him can only be one man, because he looks just like the scrolls.

Avatar Roku.

Zuko stares at him for a moment before Uncle Iroh's voice comes into his head, reminding him that this is an Avatar, an elder, and his great-grandfather, and he bows awkwardly, blushing because he's certain that he's doing something incredibly wrong.

His great-grandfather laughs. "You can look at me, Zuko," and just as awkwardly as he bowed, he rises so he can look at Roku in the eyes. They're kind eyes.

They're his mother's eyes.

"Great-Grandfather," Zuko says, his mouth dry. "Th-thank you for visiting me tonight."

"Of course," the spirit says. "I do what I can to visit my favorite great-grandson."

His mother was an only child as were both her parents, but Zuko can't deny the thrill that goes through him at those words.

"I am sure you're wondering what you're doing back in the past," Roku asks.

Zuko nods, because he needs the answer and he needs it now. He just doesn't want to demand it.

It crosses his mind briefly that the last time he was in this time, demanding wasn't something he ever thought about. He just . . . did it. Without thinking and without total confidence.

Zuko desperately wishes that he could apologize to every person that he came in contact with over these past few years, but he knows that he can't. At least, not yet.

Because he thinks he knows why he was sent back to the past.

"You want me to find the Avatar and teach him firebending."

Roku smiles. "Just like your great-grandmother. You always have to get straight to the point."

Zuko struggles to smile back, but it's hard. This entire situation is almost everything he could have wanted, but he doesn't know why it has to be here, on his ship, and not Ba Sing Se, the perfect time that he could have changed the past and made a better future.

"There's a reason why it's not Ba Sing Se," Roku whispers. "There's a reason why it's moment that it'll be harder. But it's a moment where you could have changed your mind, where you can take the future into your control now."

He takes a deep breath. Roku is right. He can . . . he can do even more to help ensure victory for the Avatar and his friends when Sozin's Comet comes, because he'd have even more time to help the Avatar learn firebending, to make sure they're all prepared for everything his father is going to throw at them.

"Where have I been sent to exactly?" he asks, voice hoarse.

"Right after the confrontation with the pirates."

Zuko's mind flashes through what this means. It means that they are very unlikely to trust him, and he's entering a period where he had no idea where the Avatar was until they met again at that small fishing village during the terrible storm. Or saw each other during it, at the very least.

He nods. "I know what I have to do."

Roku gives him a small smile. "I'm so proud to hear that."

And Zuko knows then that it doesn't matter how hard it's going to be or how different joining the Avatar has turned out to be.

This was the best decision of his life.

*

His note to Uncle Iroh is short and simple. He doesn't want to get him into too much trouble, but he needs to make sure that Uncle Iroh knows that he's safe. It takes him hours to figure out the right words, almost to sunrise, which is when he knows that he needs to leave because then his chances of being caught are too great.

He leaves it on his bed, with his ponytail cut off and on top of it, and he hopes that his uncle gets the message that it's because he's moving onto a better life right now.

A life that his uncle would be proud of.

Escaping the ship goes off without a hitch, and getting to the fishing village is simple as well. Not as simple as it would have been the first time around, but Zuko has had months of traveling around the Earth Kingdom to call upon, even if his body does feel the effects of roughing it more than Zuko did at the end.

And once he’s there, it’s all about finding the odd jobs and a small clearing near the town as he waits, anticipation curling in his gut, for the Avatar to arrive.

*

His ship never comes, and he doesn’t have to worry about his crew as he follows the bison back to the cave that the Avatar and his friends are staying in.

He didn’t expect it to be easy when he saw them, knowing that he still has some explaining to do. His heart is being gripped by an invisible hand as they stare at him with wide eyes, Katara and Sokka both immediately moving to stand in front of the Ava- _ Aang, _ even though Zuko could easily wipe the floor with them.

He immediately bows before them, and he can feel their surprise.

“I’m sorry,” leaves his mouth before he can even think. He had spent weeks trying to figure out the perfect thing to say to them, but all those thoughts have left his mind. All he can do is let the words fall out of his mouth. “I was wrong.”

There are more things he should say, but they’re choked up in his throat, refusing to leave. “I want to teach you firebending, if you’ll let me. I think-I  _ know _ that we need to save the world from my father.”

Silence.

And then: a hand on his shoulder and he looks up into Aang’s smiling face. “If Katara and Sokka don’t have a problem with it.”

Zuko looks behind him. Sokka’s arms are crossed and he’s frowning, but Katara’s smiling as well. “I know I’ll need to earn your trust,” he whispers to them. “But I’m  _ ready _ to earn it.”

At that moment, he swears that he can feel his mother’s smile.

**Author's Note:**

> I hoped you enjoyed the fic!


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